Politics’ new third rail: Dungeons & Dragons
McCain’s blogger pays for insulting gamers.
Michael Goldfarb, John McCain’s campaign blogger-in-residence, “has discovered an unknown third rail of politics: Dungeons & Dragons,” said Jackson West in the blog Valleywag. In two separate posts, he ridiculed the “pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd” that stooped to “disparage a fellow countryman’s memory of war from the comfort of mom’s basement.” Goldfarb apologized, apparently after he realized that many “Republican-leaning libertarians have a velvet bag of polyhedral dice tucked away somewhere safe.”
The apology might have come too late, said Steve Benen in The Carpetbagger Report. Judging from the reaction in the blogosphere, “the McCain campaign has inadvertently woken an angry nerd army.”
And some members of the U.S. army, too, said Robert Mackey in The Huffington Post. “I’m a card carrying geek” who’s played D&D for years, several of those years as a soldier. And I wasn’t the only one. There are D&D players “all over the U.S. military,” and it seems a little rich for a blogger to criticize them. When their country called, “gaming geeks rallied around the flag.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Maybe that’s why he’s chosen to “lump Obama supporters with D&D nerds,” said Bill Simmon in Candleblog. As a “pro-war” candidate trying to make Obama supporters look weak, McCain and his team “can’t paint with too broad a social brush.” Luckily, there’s still “one social group it’s still okay to make fun of”—nerds. Well, bring it on. “Nerds for Obama, unite!”
I’ll hand it to Goldfarb, said the blog Ace of Spades HQ. “It’s pretty bold for a political blogger to play the “dork” card on anyone.” But come on, "some people seem to be taking this ... a bit too seriously.” For those who are, “I invoke the William Shatner Diktat: Get a life.”
You think this is a joke? said Bob Younce in the blog RPG Digest. I’m “to the right of John McCain” politically, but I won’t be voting for him “as long as Mr. Goldfarb remains on staff.” In fact, most D&D players I know are not liberals. But “forget politics for a minute. I’m amazed that this stereotype still exists of gamers in their mom’s basement. What do we have to do to prove it?”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 7, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - football widows, meddling kids, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?
Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published